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These are the first few layers of a snow scene from my neighbor’s yard. It looks so pleasantly mystical that I’m delaying further progress, but there are many dark colors going in here as soon as I apply some masking fluid to save the snow on the tree trunks and branches.

Evergreen Clematis I is one of three paintings I have for sale in the Art Bazaar at the historic Blount-Bridgers House, 130 Bridgers Street, Tarboro, NC. The Art Bazaar is sponsored by Edgecombe Arts and is open to the public through Saturday, December 13. This exhibition is a great place to shop for unique Christmas gifts, and while you are there you can explore historic downtown Tarboro.

I first saw earthquake bolts in Charleston, SC. They were used to reinforce or rebuild homes that were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake of 1886.

The earthquake bolt you see in this watercolor painting was first spotted by my grandson, John Tyler Brumfield, while we were on a family vacation. It’s on a building in the historic area of Staunton, VA. I am guessing this earthquake bolt is used to keep the building from falling into Lewis Creek that runs underground in parts of Staunton. I have been told there are other earthquake bolts on other buildings in Staunton, but I am fairly sure there has never been a significant earthquake there.

Back home in Rocky Mount, NC, I discovered earthquake bolts on one of the buildings at Rocky Mount Mills on the Tar River. Here the bolts are used to keep the second floor of the main building from collapsing onto the first floor if there is fire. Since the cotton mill burned several times in the nineteenth century, fire was a real concern when the mills were in operation.

Here is a brief history of the 1886 earthquake in Charleston, a description of the iron plates, nuts, and rods that make up the earthquake bolts in Charleston, and pictures of earthquake bolts on Charleston’s buildings.

The Watercolor Society of North Carolina and Barton College are hosting a reception on Saturday night, November 9, 2013, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, in the Case Art Building on the Barton College campus. Forty works by forty different artists will be on display, and Prickly Pear Cactus is my piece in this exhibition.

You are invited to the reception and I look forward to seeing you there. If you are already busy Saturday night and the reception is not an option, then the exhibition is up through December 16. The Case Art Building is open to the public from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Monday through Friday. Parking is available on Whitehead Street.

Here’s the progress I made last week on this small watercolor painting. I’ve added more dark areas and more of the light green layer. I’ve also added masking liquid to save the light areas in the red part of the cactus.

Here is my finished watercolor painting, Prickly Pear Cactus. It is part of a series of small paintings, 8″ X 10″. It is the first painting I have done on cold press (the traditional surface for watercolor) paper in a long while. I usually use hot press with a smooth surface. Watercolor painters, what kind of paper do you use?

This is a snapshot of the work I started last week. It should give you an idea of how I plan a painting. Because yellow loses its transparency if it is painted over another color, I put all the yellow I want in a painting in the first layer. This way I keep the transparency of the yellow. Here you see the first layers of yellows plus some permanent rose and azo orange layers. On top of those two layers I have already added another layer of cobalt blue or viridian in some places. The darkest areas have the cobalt blue or the viridian green layers already on them

Where there is only one layer over white or yellow, I have used a pigment called Oxide of Chromium.

Tell me if you also paint in layers of if you prefer to do all your mixing with a brush or a palette knife.

PAQA-S has been more important to my artistic development than any other professional organization I’ve belonged to in the last seven years. Now, in 2013, the events on January 25 and 26 are open to artists working in any medium and I want to share the possibilities of this experience with as many friends as possible. I would love to see you in Cary, NC!

From Professional Art Quilters Alliance – South:

January 10, 2013 is the postmark deadline for registering for the 2013 Conference and Annual Meeting. The workshops are not art quilt specific and are open to the public. Please share this information with anyone you think may be interested.

The 2013 Conference and Annual Meeting will be held at Page-Walker Arts and History Center in Cary, NC on January 25 & 26, 2013. The conference will coincide with the artist receptions for our latest exhibits ARTQUILTSwater and ARTQUILTSrivers and will feature two workshops and an art quilt photographer. Here’s a quick review of what’s happening with a link to more detailed information and registration form.

Here is yet another parody of Grant Wood’s American Gothic

The announcement about the winner of the set of note cards is buried near the end of the comments in the previous post. Some people might not see it there, so I am posting it here where it’s easy to see. Your input was helpful and I appreciated all your comments.

Thanks to everyone for participating and for helping me reach a decision. I have decided to print one from each set based on the input I received. Your responses definitely changed my thinking. I will print Neighboring Farms, Docking too Fast and Southport Boats.

The winner of the set of three note cards is Cindy and Andy Klymchuk of Ontario! Cindy and Andy, please make sure I have your correct mailing address by November 5, 2012.

Here are three sets of watercolor paintings that I am considering for 5 X 7 note cards. I will have one of these sets of three watercolors printed next week in time for an art sale on November 7. I wonder which set will make the best-selling note cards, and that is where I can use your help. If you will leave your vote in a comment on this blog, I will enter your name in a drawing for a gift set of the three that are printed. Check back on Monday, October 29, at noon and if you are the winner, be sure to contact me with your address so I can mail your gift to you.

Please stop by tonight, September 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM for the opening of the Artrageous Quilters’ exhibit at Emerge Gallery 404 S. Evans Street, Greenville, NC. This is also gallery walk night in uptown Greenville so there will be lots of art to enjoy.

The Artrageous Quilters’ exhibit runs from now until Sept. 29, 2012. Artrageous Quilters is a loosely organized group of art quilters who take on a quilt challenge each year. The results for two of those challenges are in this exhibit – Gossip challenge and A Walk in my Garden challenge. Both are fun to see.

Here is my quilt in the exhibit. This quilt, Havens’ Wharf, and many of the other quilts in the exhibit are not part of a challenge.They were
created by Artrageous Quilters members for various other reasons.

In early 2012 two strangers met for the first time to collaborate on the creation of an art quilt and a short story. Edward Schuldt came to my house to introduce himself and to see where we might make a connection between his writing and my art. He explained he only writes prose and I talked about my desire to do something creative with images of the old and crumpling buildings in Eastern North Carolina.

After that meeting I began by gathering photos of old buildings whenever they had the right lighting. Some of these photos spoke to Edward and some didn’t. We eventually settled on this old shed as the major player in the story he developed.

Then he told me the basketball goal had to go because he was doing a story from the Civil War era. Here is the shed with goal still attached. I later learned how to remove the basketball goal with the changes I made in Photoshop Elements.

Ariane Goodwin had featured my new website and blog on the following site: http://smartistcareerblog.com/2011/11/tuesdays-smartist-bragging-rights-3/. This is Ariane Goodwin’s blog for “Bridging the Gap Between Making Art and Making a Living.” Ariane is also the creator of the smARTist telesummit that occurs each January and just keeps getting better every year. I highly recommend it to all artists who are serious about their careers. You can find out about the telesummit at the same link.